The Life of John
by RadishCoffee
Summary: This is my first attempt at writing a story so I have decided to write one inspired by Sherman and Penny. Hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Guys, this is my first attempt at writing a novel. Please don't be too harsh if it isn't too good. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1**

He sat in front of the glass window, separating him from the cold, mysterious air outside, watching the streaks of raindrops sliding down and wondering what they were. He watched in awe as the streaks gliding down began to clear the misty screen and reveal the breath taking skyline of San Francisco. Out there, in the distance, he could just make out the gleaming silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge against the dying sun. The setting sun was emitting a soft, warm glow that caused John to feel secure. _Where will I be in twenty years' time? Will I still be here, admiring the scenery? Will I…_ His thoughts were interrupted by someone harshly knocking the door. John McGeadlock reluctantly stood up and trudged to the door. He reached for the brass handle but to his surprise the door jerked open and smashed into his toes, causing him to rear back and howl in pain as he flopped onto the softness of his bed and vigorously rubbing his toes to alleviate the agonizing pain.

"I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" a soothing voice enquired. It was John's mother. She loved him so much that just doing something that hurt him in any way made her worried. John thought that his mother was pedantic at times but she was always there to look out for him. He also loved her as much as she did. There was quite a large contrast between his mother and father. His mother was so gentle, loving and scrupulous while his father was rough, harsh but always so dedicated and determined. They both poured their love into John's heart and he always returned their love. _Will life always be like this? So happy and perfect? What will happen after I have grown up?_ John didn't want to think of all of these daunting ideas. He was only six after all; couldn't he just enjoy everything? John realizedthat his mother was still waiting for his response so he quickly replied, "Yes. I am perfectly fine; nothing to worry about at all, mom." John didn't want to worry his mother so he lied to her; not something she really liked though. His mom was quite suspicious but she played along and said, "OKthen. I just came in to say that your father and I have planned to take you out tomorrow to FAO Schwarz as a treat for your recent good behavior." John was delighted to hear such news and leapt up in joy. FAO was one of his favoriteplaces to go and every time he went, he never wanted to leave. John rarely got the opportunity to go shopping for toys unlike his very rich friends who would get to go every weekend and buy everything they wanted; they always had all the newest toys that came out while John still had the older versions, sometimes even a year old! Usually when John and his parents went, he would get a small quota to spend at the store which he usually used to get train models that he would eventually set up in his showcase at home; his very small showcase.

"Thanks so much, mom! I can't wait to go tomorrow! Is it time for dinner yet?" John said very quickly in excitement. His mom nodded in confusion and led the way out the room and downstairs to the dining room. As John passed the third step the succulent smell of the food his mom had prepared filled his nostrils and made his stomach growl quite loudly. He quickly flew down the last flight of steps and into the kitchen to meet his parents sitting around the table inviting him to his seat. He sat down and with nods of approval from his parents he started eating. The pasta his mom had cooked was one of his favorites: pasta carbonara. The luscious taste was immediately recognizedby his tongue and he caressed the silky, smooth texture of the strings of pasta with his tongue. The cream was so delectable and the little bits of ham were tasty. John never ceased to be impressed by his mom's amazing cooking skills; she never really learnt to cook, although, she did read some cooking books to get ideas of what to cook for the family. After the meal, John wiped his face clean of the cream and stood up and tucked his chair in saying thank you and good night to his parents. He then left for the privacy of his room and continued to stare outside into the dark sky filled with millions of little glowering flickers of light from stars. As he lay down in his comforting bed, he reflected on the whole day he had and thought about the day to come. After a few minutes, he drifted to sleep and had pleasant dreams not noticing that his parents came to check on him silently and whispered proudly to each other about John.

 **How was that? Please take some time to review. I will upload the next chapter soon as I have written a bit already.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the second chapter guys. Hope you liked the first.**

 **Chapter 2**

The warm ball of light that leaked in through the half open curtains filtered through John's eyelids and woke him up. He sat up in his bed and looked around at the different shaped shadows cast by the sunlight on the various objects in John's room. John's hair was dishevelled as well as his bed so he set about to tidy both up. John took a quick shower and changed into some suitable clothes and quickly rushed down to greet his parents who were already awake. "Good morning. You ready to go?" his father asked, standing up. John nodded in recognition and headed towards the door. However, he realised he hadn't eaten so he pointed to the fridge and ran over to grab a sandwich. To his dismay, the sandwiches had run out so John had nothing to eat. He started to panic as John was one that couldn't run for so long without food. He felt relief flood over him when his mom told him they could stop along the way to buy something to eat. They all scampered into the car and made their way to a shop for John to have breakfast.

As they reared out the driveway, John couldn't help but notice the various peculiar activities that his neighbours were engaged in. They seemed to be dancing about the garden in a weird way together, suddenly snapping in and out of funny positions. He wondered what their strange 'dance' was supposed to be of but it reminded him of one of the events that his parents brought him to when he was younger where there were many people dressed in weird costumes dancing in a similar way. He thought it was hilarious but seeing his neighbours do it was just ghastly. They continued down the streets of the neighbourhood and John noticed many daily activities taking place: walking the dog, emptying the bins, washing the car, taking the baby out, all of which he thought was quite exciting and he wanted to do them when he grew up. He never really understood why his parents kept complaining about how hard it all was; it just seemed so simple and fun. When they arrived at the local bakery, John's parents ordered some pastries and didn't even need to ask John what he wanted as he always had the same thing. They paid and got back into the car and handed John a brown paper bag that contained his chocolate muffin. The delicious smell drifted around the car and John immediately munched into his delicacy. John's hunger quickly diminished and he was very hyper, jumping all over the place and bobbing up and down in his seat.

The car continued its journey and soon enough, John arrived at the toy store. The gargantuan building loomed over the meagre car and cast a large engulfing shadow to submerge the car in darkness. John cowered in his seat in fear but his excitement took over once again and he was soon pumped up and energized again. John quickly reached for the door handle and struggled to push the door open so he had to resort to waiting for one of his parents to help him. His mom came round and opened the door for John so he leapt out into her arms. She lifted him up and he was gliding in the air happily and felt butterflies in his tummy when he looked down to see how high up he was. He steadied himself when he landed on the ground and quickly dashed to the entrance. His parents slowly followed and they tried to disguise the admiration and adoration they felt for John as they looked at their six year old son.

John leaned back and tried to see what was above the red awnings to discover the multi-coloured blocks with animal faces gawping down on him. He also noticed the many toy blocks with the letters of the shop name that seemed to stand out and make the shop distinct. He stood there for a few moments taking in this experience; one he always loved and never wanted to leave. He rarely got this chance so he was going to make the most of it. He strode in to the shop proudly with his parents close behind and was instantly struck by how bright and beautifully decorated the whole shop was. It was paradise for any child. The cheerful music, the smiles and laughter of every child, the rows and stacks of toys and the orbiting trains on showcase all contributed to make the atmosphere one of the greatest for anyone. John just loved it so much. _If only I could come here every day_ , he thought. _But that probably would make it less special and I wouldn't crave such an experience as much; I like it like this actually._

John hurried to his favourite section that contained every single train model that the whole wide world could hold and he stared in awe at every single one, admiring the colour, build, shape of each one as a collector would. There were over 2000 different trains and John vowed to collect every single one of them by the time he was 15. Right now John had a total of 7 trains which he was quite proud of. He would get one every time he came to FAO. There are six different gauges of trains and they were neatly arranged so that John could buy them in order; right now he was still on the number 0 gauge section which contained the smaller models which were inevitably the cheaper, more affordable ones. He still spent the time exploring the number 5 gauge section where the trains were nearly 4 times larger and also vowed that one day; he would have all of those. _Although I could get one if I save up for the next 6 years which I don't think will ever happen, sadly._ He stroked his hand along the top of the carriages of the oncoming train model which was very long and consisted of over 10 large trains conjoined; one John could never imagine having. His parents really would love to get him what he really wanted but it was just impossible considering that his family weren't the richest and they had rather save the miniscule amount of money they earned for John's future. They really believed it would be worth it for John to have great education rather than great entertainment.

John was deciding which of the trains he would like to add to his collection and ended up choosing a gleaming black leading truck which he would need to lead all the other carriages that he already had. John thought that this train was just a perfect model; it just looked amazing and the components just made it a work of art. The cowcatcher at the front was shaped beautifully and the grates were aligned perfectly in columns. The valves and domes that were all across the top gave the train a pleasant texture that John kept rubbing his fingers over. The little bell towards the front could genuinely ring and the ringing was harmonious; it gave out a warm ring that filled John's heart with joy. The circular wheels, greased cylinders and power reverse along the bottom moved in perfect synchronisation; John was just overjoyed with the tranquil movement. This was the first train ever, that John had seen, that had an actual working light that John could switch on from underneath. It would make the perfect leading train and John would love to play with this paragon of beauty. He lifted it up gently with his tender hands and brought it with him to show his parents. They both nodded in approval and led him towards one of the available counters where they paid for the train. John stared eagerly at how the man at the counter was packing the train into one of the white foam boxes and placing it in a plastic bag decorated with vibrant colours. He handed it to John and with a warm smile he said, "Enjoy playing with your new toy. Have a great day!" John buoyantly skipped out of the shop with the toy bag dangling from his grasp and whistled a short, cheerful tune. His parents made their way out of the store as well and cherished this moment where John was still young, impressionable, free; they never really wanted him to grow up, well, they wanted him to grow but they wanted to keep him in this state where there was so much to learn and he would always listen and not do outrageous things they wouldn't approve of. John and his parents then stepped into the car and headed home. His parents talked a bit with each other about school which John didn't understand at all; he was too busy playing with his newly bought train model.

 **Please review so I know what I should change or edit. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**No one reviewed last time! I had to do this all alone :( But, here is the third chapter anyways:**

 **Chapter 3**

"John," his mom enquired, "we are considering sending you to school next year. School is a place where there are many people you will meet including teachers who will teach you many things and students who learn like you. At school you will make many friends and we are sure you will enjoy your time there. At home, we can't teach you that well; at school, the teachers will do a better job than us and we believe it is the next step forward in your life." John slowly processed this information. _Am I going to leave my parents, my home and my trains? Is everything going to change?_ John looked at his parents unsurely and quietly said "I'm not so sure. I really like how everything is right now. Why does is have to change? I don't think I really want to do this you know." His parents looked at each other and seemingly communicated via telepathy. His parents seemed to come to a conclusion and his father said "John, this is for the best. You should go to school, learn what there is to learn, move on to college, earn a degree and get a job. All of these are what your mother and I did when we were younger. Both of us agree that you going to school is the best option and we both know that you will do very well. You are very smart already considering that you haven't ever been to school. Most kids your age would have gone a few years earlier but we decided that it would be most effective for you to read books and learn from us at a young age. However, now that you are almost seven, we think that it would be best if you go to school now. We have been talking for quite a while and looked around at different schools and think the best one for you is one only a few minutes away: McKinley elementary school. The people there are very nice and we are sure you will get along with everyone." John was still dumbstruck by the realisation that everything was going to change. It seemed new and exciting but also quite intimidating.

The whole night John was in his bed thinking about this whole new idea of school and how it could affect him and change him totally. John realised that if he were to go to school, he wouldn't be with his parents as much and wouldn't have as much time for playing and enjoying life. But John, being the adventurous, agog boy, decided that he would go and explore the world and the first step was to go to school. He told his parents that he agreed with them and would go to school. For most of the following week, his parents would fill in many forms and there would be many people coming and going from the house, discussing matters with his parents about school. When the end of the week arrived and John was getting tired of seeing his parents at the table talking or writing all time, his parents proudly announced that John was ready to go to school next month which was the start of the school term. John was nervous but excited at this new prospect and started thinking of all the things that he would have to prepare for in order to be ready for school. In the following weeks leading up to school, John spent less time playing with his trains in order to read some books that would give him a slight lead over some of the people in his class. As the start of school came closer, his mother started worrying over how John would cope at school and had to be reassured by his father that John would be perfectly fine at school.

His parents went to the school several times to buy items and equipment John would need which included three sets of school uniform, two sets of school sports kits, a backpack, some stationery and a water bottle. The day before school arrived and John started feeling weird sensations overcome him. He started worrying a bit about how everything would turn out just like his mother. His father, however, seemed very cool about the whole idea and had to be the one to reassure both of them. At night, John's mother sat with him and went over a very long list of what he had to be careful of and how he had to behave in class and what he had to do at lunch and so on. "John, make sure you smile and be polite to the teachers, make sure you clean up your food after lunch, make sure you listen to all the safety briefings at the start, make sure..." John interrupted halfway, "Yes mom, I will do everything you say. Don't worry, I'll keep safe and I will make you proud." His mother slowly calmed down and nodded; John noticed tears welling up in her eyes. He wasn't too sure if she was scared or happy. John's mother started sobbing; she sighed and muttered "I'm so proud of you John. It's just that I can't really stand letting you go yet. I guess it's a bit selfish but I want to keep you close forever." John tried to console her by stating "I'm just a very short distance from home, you know. You can always come and visit at lunch or something." His mom looked up at him and smiled, her eyes watering but sparkled at the same time. He noticed this feature and smiled reassuringly which relieved the tension in the air. They parted and John headed to his bedroom, ready for the next day ahead of him; it promised to be one he would never forget.

 **And there you have it. Chapter 3 done. Exams coming up so it will be hard to update. Please review; only a few sentences would really help! Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy chapter 4. Took a little bit of time and some memory digging.**

 **Chapter 4**

John woke up unusually early; the prospect of the first day of school probably haunted him so much it made him wake up in a pool of sweat. He lazily flipped over and checked the alarm clock; it told him that he had just over an hour to get ready for school. John hurried to the bathroom to have a quick shower and get dressed into the school uniform. The school uniform consisted of a white shirt, a red and black striped tie, a dark red blazer, light grey trousers, black socks and black shoes. John thought the combination was quite dark considering the school was a bright elementary school with a rainbow in the logo. However, he liked it because his mother told him that he looked amazingly handsome in the new school uniform. Once he was prepared for school, his parents ushered him into the car and they clambered in after him. He noticed that his mom had a camera in her hand; today was a very big day for the family. His mom always brought that camera to any important event and she would often take many photos; much to John's father's annoyance because the whole process of a single photo took painstakingly long. John, on the other hand, thought that photos were a great idea because they could be collected and could be reflected back upon in the future; it would bring back joyous memories that would not be forgotten.

As they reared out the driveway, John noticed that his neighbours weren't performing their regular weird dance but they were smashing up random ceramic items, probably of much value and John thought this was very disrespectful to the person who had spent much of his priceless time carefully making these items. Along the journey to school, John was constantly reminded by his mother of the things he had to do and beware of which John started to feel annoyed of but kept silent because deep inside he knew his mother only said these things because she cared and loved him. When they arrived, John's father parked the car in one of the empty parking slots and they all scampered out of the car. John's mother started taking photos of the school campus whilst his father carried equipment from the trunk of the car. John stood near the car and gaped at the large structure in front of him. It was so intricately designed John reckoned it must have taken several years to construct.

The building was several floors high and was made purely from metal and glass. The glass reflected off some light into John's eyes and he had to squint in order to see well. The walls and windows were all glass and the floor was all glass supported by metal bars. Metal railings and bars snaked along the outside of the building holding it in place. John could see that the lowest floor was still flooded with the bright sunlight so he assumed that the roof was another glass item. He slowly ventured to the gate when his father's strong grip was felt on his shoulder. "John, turn around so your mom can take a picture. Oh and here is your backpack." John took the black backpack and slung it onto his shoulder. He then turned around to see his mother holding the camera close to her face and pointing straight at John. "Move a bit to the left so that I can see the building." He and his father shuffled over. "A bit more." They moved more. "Now right a little." They moved back. "Ah, that's better." She clicked the shutter button and lowered the camera. John could see her smile happily. They turned around and headed for the gate; John held tightly to his mother's safe hand and slowly advanced towards the gate.

When they arrived, John's mother burst into tears again and she tried to stifle a sob. She really couldn't bear it to leave John so far from her. She kissed John lightly on the forehead and his father hugged him; John started to feel uncertain again but his parents urged him forwards. He took a step into the school and turned back to see his parents watching him passionately and waving at him; he decided that he should move now so he wouldn't feel homesick right away. He waved back and turned around and took another step; he looked around to try and get used to the surroundings. He could see many newly painted, wooden benches that lined the gravel path leading to the entrance of the school. Many children his age were already running and screaming and playing with each other. John wondered why he felt so shy about all this; there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Just as John took another step, he heard the crunch of gravel behind him and whirled around quickly. He saw a girl about his age standing there shyly; her feet were very close together, she held a book bag between her arms, her blonde hair was tied up perfectly with a golden lock of hair draped over her shoulder, her blue eyes twinkled cheerfully and her gaze melted John's heart. He felt his heart racing but did not understand why; love was not a concept John knew of. He stared at her longingly for many heart-stirring seconds until he was woken up from the trance by her light tap on his shoulder. He shuddered at the touch and jolted back startled. As he looked up into her eyes, he saw confusion but also a slight sense of curiosity. He nervously opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't muster a single word; he stood there gaping until she intervened and inaudibly murmured "Umm... Hi there... Uhh... My name is Jane. I'm new and I guess you are too. Well, could we go into school together?" All the while, John was frozen in his spot but managed to muster some bravery and just managed to nod. John shuffled forwards slowly and carefully alongside the girl who seemed more confident now; John was now the one who looked most shy.

 **Hope you liked it. This relationship may develop if you readers wish. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please enjoy chapter 5. This chapter includes a bit of action. Could have some mild themes I will not disclose as it would spoil the chapter but please be aware if you are younger than 6 (? Not sure what age). Thanks and here it is:**

 **Chapter 5**

Both John and Jane strolled along the gravel path leading to the school entrance. As John walked, he noticed that Jane was deep in thought and seemed to be casting many glances towards one of the benches which was occupied by a boy who looked several years older than John and had the build of a bully. John seemed distressed at the thought that Jane favored another boy over him but he tried not to let it take over him. The bully noticed him and cast a feverous stare at John sending shudders throughout his body. John stalked forwards hoping to distract himself from any fearful thoughts; however, this only seemed to motivate the bully as he stood up and strutted towards John. John stayed rooted to the spot as the bully drew nearer and nearer; John drew a deep breath and shut his eyes tightly so as to not see what was happening. He felt a rough hand pick him up by the collar as he was lifted up into the air; he could hear the snickers from what he assumed were the bully's comrades. John could feel the bully's rancid breath wash over him and he scrunched his face in disgust; this only seemed to provoke the bully further as the bully shoved John onto the gravel path. John winced in pain and the bully casually whispered into John's ear "Stay away from my girl, wimp."

John felt a gentle hand help him to his feet as he brushed the dust and dirt from his new uniform. "Sorry for not coming sooner; I just went back to collect something from my mom. I hope they didn't do anything too bad to you." Jane's soft voice called out. "Don't worry; I'm perfectly fine. They didn't do anything." John lied. _Should I tell Jane that the bully hurt me because of her? No. I can't let her know._ "Your face doesn't say so, John. Just tell me, is it because of some girl? That one on the bench there?" Jane asked. _No, it's you._ "Uhh, no. Well, you see, the bully likes this girl and he thinks I am related to her somehow which he doesn't like so he just told me to stay away." John answered but tried to not relate her. However, Jane thought about it and could only imagine one possible solution: her. She knew it wouldn't do any good to ask so she just kept quiet and nodded along. They both made their way up to the neatly carved, marble arched entrance; it was massive and it was polished so well you could see your own reflection in it. John stared mesmerized at his reflection and noticed that it smiled back and waved at him which caused him to snap out of his trance. He continued into the building and noticed a large, red notice board with a map of the school campus. He dragged Jane towards it and they both tried to find where the assembly hall was.

When they found that it was at the centre of the main school building, they made their ways towards it going through many brightly lit corridors that had several rows of towering lockers and bustling with students all heading to heading towards the assembly hall. John and Jane arrived along with a huge wave of people and they slowly filed in through the small metal door. John looked around and noticed how much red there was in the room; the carpet was a dark shade of red, the seats were striped red and black and had plush velvet red cushions on them, the tables were wooden but polished and reflected the red items in the room, the walls had a red wallpaper and red curtains and the ceiling had hanging red flags. Every one took their seats; John and Jane sat next to each other in one of the front rows just so they could see and hear clearly. John then spotted the bully heading towards him with a dodgy look on his face. He came closer and John closed his eyes in hopes of avoiding any contact but the bully advanced and budged into John sending him sprawling out of his seat; John smashed into the ground and he felt pain injected into his right shoulder. He struggled to remain calm and climbed back into his seat feeling quite dejected and bitter at how he was being treated on his first day; only an hour or so in and he was already a bully target; all because of Jane. _Should I just stay away from her so that I wouldn't be bullied? No, that's selfish; it's not what true friends would do._ John looked at Jane and noticed that she had a horrified look on her face; she probably was looking at John and just sat there frozen in her spot. John tried to wave and rescue her from her hypnotized state which succeeded soon enough. Jane opened her mouth to speak but her voice was drowned out by the bully's: "Hey! You! I warned you already. I don't want to have to do this to you."

John yelped in surprised as he felt a rough hand pick him by his collar from behind and spun him around. He came face to face with the bully and the bully spat on his face. John could feel the sticky substance slowly slider down his face and had the urge to wipe it away; however, he couldn't because the bully's comrades were already there holding his hands. "Stop it!" Jane cried from behind him and dragged John back and the bully let go once he felt the tugging. John fell down once released and wiped his face in disgust; he would get his revenge later. Jane stared at the bully and he could see the anger boiling up in her eyes; her green eyes burned with fury and her piercing stare stabbed at his heart. The bully slowly backed away from the tiger-like Jane and scurried away with his comrades; for once, he was terrified by something. Jane hurried to the aid of John who was still recovering from another harsh encounter with the bully. John stood up and managed to put on a meek smile for Jane but she knew and he knew that John was still hurt from the assault. They both sat down in their seats like before; John a little shaken, Jane a little worried.

 **Thanks for reading and as always, please review!**


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